Cray
07/24/02 05:21 PM
12.91.129.196
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The story of the development of this fascinating new missile system (well, ammo type) is one of trial, tribulation, and not a little in the way of poor schooling. It ended with a breakthrough missile system and the firing of both the inventor and head engineer on the design team.
As was the way of Acme Arms, the design team tasked to think up a new missile system was brainstorming about possible new, breakthrough missile systems over a few brews. This was at the edge of the swamp behind the Thinkin' Shack, a literal shack where some of the best Acme Arms inventions had been thought of. It was equipped to support such advanced cognition by having a large beer refrigeration and stock of ammo for plinkin' at swamp rats (50lb beaver-like critters that eat terrestrial wolverines in one sitting) and skeeters (12" vampiric insectoids that are threat to small pets and young children.) The course of conversation also followed a common thread of Acme Arms design teams, which meant it concentrated more on what the designers couldn't do for lack of knowledge and higher education than on implementing breakthrough designs.
As best the principals present could remember for the final project report (exact accounts vary, as the shotguns used to bang away at skeeters were loud enough to drown out differing parts of the conversation each participant heard), the chain of logic that lead to new missile system had begun with a debate over missile sizes.
The Acme Arms design team had determined that the multitude of different yield, different range missiles found in the Clan ATM was a pretty good idea, though all the fancy targeting gizmos like the Artemis whatsit built into the ATM would have to be dropped- er, wait for a later design iteration. In the mean time, the exact specs for the final Fancy Rocket Chucker (the working name of the Acme Arms advanced missile system) would have to wait on the determination of the missile size. The merits of several new missile sizes were considered. Perhaps a 12.5kg missile, or an LRM-sized missile, or different missile sizes for each warhead/motor combination with a fancy launcher that could adapt to fire whatever size missile was shoved into its rear. Something like that.
A young engineer fresh from finishing school (swamp rat skinnin' finishing school) proposed the winning idea. Since it was beyond the ken of the Acme folks to get an SRM-yield (or larger) warhead onto an LRM-sized missile (at least, without it droppin' to the ground 'bout 100ft from the launcher), and since thinkin' up a new missile class would be a lot of work and probably as much trouble to get built and into circulation as had the Neutron PPC*, why not just use the existing Es-Ar-Em missile and make a few different motor and warhead size combinations? "An' since we'd be usin' an SRM-sized missile, why not lob dem suckers from uh SRM launcher?" That, the young engineer reasoned, would save Acme the trouble of developing a new missile launcher, too.
*(The neutron PPC was a brilliant invention of Acme Arms that never saw battlefield use. With much lower technology, it duplicated the effects of an ER PPC and ignored the anti-PPC effects of glazed armor and the Blue Shield system. Unfortunately, budget overruns killed any chances Acme Arms would manufacture it (the politicians who backed it were lynched) so it was sold to Magna. Magna found it too expensive to retool its ER PPC assembly lines to build the NuPPC and thus allowed the NuPPC to languish in obscurity. New weapon systems do face such hurdles, as well as getting the buyer's logistics system to support the new weapons.)
The design team all agreed that was pretty sharp cogitating from an 18-year old, including the senior engineer. As he put it, "From the mouth of babes..."
Despite his advocacy ("Let's build this thing!") of this successful project, the senior engineer was fired, as was the young engineer who suggested the winning idea. To understand why would require looking at another (failed) Acme Arms project: the Intermediate Range Missile.
The IRM was basically an SRM with a normal-sized warhead but (it was hoped) up to 66% more range. With limited budget (and talent), the Acme Arms team that had developed the IRM had hit upon a simple means of making an SRM go further: use more energetic (i.e. less stable) fuel. This mostly involved removing the moderators that differentiated the solid fuel from autocannon propellant. To reach the design goals, the fuel ended up being largely devoid of stabilizer. Quite a few of the IRM motors had been cast but, with the failure of the IRM project, were left waiting disposal at the next BBQ & Bonfire holiday bash.
When the young engineer took exception to the idea he had a woman's mouth ("mouth of babes"), he sought to prove his masculinity by "Beatin' all hell outta the ole fart." This involved dragging the senior engineer around the Acme Arms complex in a head lock until a suitably solid object could be found to bash the man's head into. One of the candidate solid objects was an (inadequately) armored cask of IRM motors.
The resulting ignition of the motors (stored, obviously, in the Missile Shed) and fire inflicted millions of C-bills worth of damage to the Acme Arms R&D complex. Worst of all, a beer truck with a new delivery of "Smart Drinks" was destroyed before it could get its precious cargo to the Thinkin' Shack. Thus, both men were fired.
The surviving members of the design team recalled the stupid young'un's idea and quickly implemented it. This was a missile the size of a standard SRM (i.e. 20% larger than a LRM), but with the warhead of the smaller LRM. This allowed a motor larger than even an LRM's to be mounted in the missile. Though some targeting software difficulties remained to be ironed out, the new missile was completely compatible with (most) SRM launchers. In a fit of genius characteristic of Acme Arms engineers (i.e. thought of in a drinking game that involved comparing who had the largest flash burns), the new missile was dubbed:
THE EXTENDED RANGE SHORT RANGE MISSILE
The ER SRM is a variant ammo load for SRM launchers. It follows all rules for SRMs with the following exceptions:
1) When fired from older SRM launchers, it has a range of 1-6/7-12/13-18, minimum 6, and cannot be fired indirectly
2) When fired from ER SRM launchers (50% price increase), it has range of 1-8/9-16/17-24, minimum 6, and can be fired indirectly
3) ER SRMs inflict 1pt damage/missile (2pts/missile for ammo explosions)
4) ER SRMs are available in all *LRM* ammo variants.
Older SRM launchers are ill-suited for the high angle arcs ER SRMs need to get their best range and be used in indirect fire roles, hence the shortened range and ban on IDF.
Several SRM manufacturers (Hovertec and Holly) have built ER SRM launchers that can make best use of ER SRMs and normal SRMs.
The minimum range is lifted straight from LRMs, while the extra 3 hexes of range is chalked up to the larger motor than LRMs possess.
The Acme Arms design team that invented the ER SRMs is promising a "reduced range SRM" (2/3 the range) with a 50% more potent warhead by next swamp rat season.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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novakitty
07/24/02 06:00 PM
209.242.100.230
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When is swamp rat season?
meow
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KamikazeJohnson
07/24/02 06:06 PM
142.161.43.108
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Jest aftah the end o' hawg-brandin' time. 
Peace is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.
--Thomas Jefferson
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ix
03/28/11 02:50 AM
92.28.116.33
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I'd love to hear about what these guys do with autocannons. Big ol' Skeeter shooters? Great piece with the added bonus of poking fun at the excessive ER nomenclature.
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Xephan
03/28/11 03:29 AM
97.124.95.25
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ATM like this but better imo.
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Cray
03/28/11 07:17 PM
173.168.112.109
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Quote:
ATM like this but better imo.
I never liked ATMs and their false billing as "versatile" weapons. They need 3 types of ammo to achieve basically the same damage-per-ton that Clan LRMs can achieve with 1 type of ammo. Worse, ATMs cannot fire indirectly (more limitation) and have no special munitions (mines, smoke, flares, etc.) available. They're a misleading dead end.
ER SRMs, at least, avoid all those problems. As do Clan LRMs and the Inner Sphere's MMLs.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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Christopher_Perkins
03/29/11 11:58 AM
138.162.128.55
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Funny Aside:
A: In Chaos March, The Corean Farshot LRM was originally an adaption of the Single Tube Infantry SRM. (possibility of cross loading unclear - Possibly SRM diameter)
B: At the time, the Only Single Tube Infantry SRM was the Heavy SRM... (q.v. MechWarrior Companion & TR3026)
FYI: the Heavy SRM is directly equivelent to the BattleMech/Battle Armor SRM.
Christopher Robin Perkins
It is my opinion that all statements should be questioned, digested, disected, tasted, and then either spit out or adopted... RHIP is not a god given shield
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Karagin
04/02/11 11:13 AM
210.5.193.42
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Had a similar idea with my groups version of MRMs and better warheads...still nice look forward.
Karagin
Given time and plenty of paper, a philosopher can prove anything.
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